The Press Box. PRO FOOTBALL.

Packer Fans Get Bad News

No Scrimmage

Elmyra Weber of Allouez is among the fans wondering whether the Super Bowl championship is causing the Packers to drift further and further away from their hometown backers.

"Right, they are," Weber said when asked about the news that the Packers won't hold a free public scrimmage before next season.

"And with (Coach Mike) Holmgren not having his TV program anymore, everything seems to be falling apart for the fans," she added, referring to the coach's decision to limit his activities, including dumping the television show.

The preseason scrimmage traditionally was open to the public and was the one way that non-ticket-holders could see the team play at Lambeau Field.

The Packers said they cut the free event because they gained a fifth exhibition game this summer.

"Don't blame us," General Manager Ron Wolf said. "We're not playing six games so everybody can walk into Lambeau and have a good time. The league gave us an extra game. We're trying to accommodate them."

Wolf said exposing players five times to game conditions during training camp was enough.

"It's unfortunate that the fifth game is going to cost us that scrimmage where we let everyone in for nothing," Wolf said. "I kind of liked that."

This won't be the first season that the Packers have a five-game exhibition season. They also played five games in 1993 and still had the free scrimmage.